Chaika Says Fighting Corruption Top Priority

A day after Russia once again ranked within the bottom third of Transparency International's corruption index, Prosecutor General Yury Chaika said the battle against corruption remained a top priority.

"Fighting corruption is one of the main priorities of state policy at the present time," Chaika said Thursday at a conference dedicated to International Anti-Corruption Day, which falls on Sunday.

Chaika said the Council of Europe's anti-corruption watchdog had approved Russian anti-graft efforts and confirmed the country's commitment to fulfilling international obligations.

"Our country has worked out a national plan for counteracting corruption," Chaika said in comments carried by Interfax, stressing that prosecutors, police and legislators, as well as various civil and parliamentary institutions, would play active roles in its implementation.